Timothy Spangler: The banality of evil

1935 photo provided by a German newspaper shows a family photo of Heinrich Himmler in Valepp, Bavaria. The picture shows Himmler with his wife Magritte, back right, their daughter Gudrun, front center, adopted son Gerhard, front right, and a friend of Gudrun. The photo is part of a trove of letters, notes and photos that were in possession of an Israeli collector. ASSOCIATED PRESS / &#169;REALWORKS LTD. / DIE WELT

When we categorize an individual as “evil,” we want to consider that person as purely evil, without caveat or qualification. We want them to be evidently evil in all parts of their lives, so they can be readily identifiable and uniformly condemned.

However, the recently discovered personal letters of Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazi SS and the individual behind the extermination of millions of Jews during the Holocaust, reveal the mundane details of his home life as a husband and father.

It is being reported that an Israeli collector who had acquired the letters from an American soldier, who himself obtained them directly from Himmler’s home, has now sold them, and excerpts were published this week in the German newspaper, Welt am Sonntag.

There are, unsurprisingly, numerous anti-Semitic references sprinkled throughout the trove of more than 700 letters between Himmler and his wife, Margarete. The roll call of battles and key events of World War II are evident, as are Himmler’s travels to and from the various concentration camps established to affect the efficient slaughter of their Jewish inhabitants.

But perhaps more uncomfortably for the modern reader, the letters repeatedly focus on the intimate day-to-day family life of the Himmlers. In addition to attempting to exterminate an entire race, Himmler was apparently a man who was very much interested in his children and who had a close and sentimental relationship with his wife, who was also a committed Nazi in her own right.

It is useful to recall that Himmler’s SS officers were more than simply soldiers who stood at the center of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. Himmler infused them with a series of occult beliefs, in an attempt to create a pagan system that would ultimately replace Christianity. In the place of Christmas was the celebration of the Winter Solstice. In the place of Jesus dying on the cross was a Black Sun with 12 swastika-style spokes.

In addition to this pastiche of neopagan symbols and philosophy cobbled together to provide a religious underpinning to the Nazi regime, Himmler also had some less-impressive ideas. For example, to ensure a steady supply of wool socks for members of the German military, Angora rabbits were bred in many of the concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Dachau. Their cages were heated and they were given fresh food regularly, benefits not conveyed to the other inhabitants of the camps. Prisoners who did not treat these cute little animals with sufficient respect were executed.

Himmler actually prided himself in the enlightened view that most Germans had of how to properly care for animals. And of course, it is well-known that Hitler was, indeed, both a vegetarian and an ardent opponent of vivisection.

The more difficult realization when observing those who commit horrific acts, on either a small or grand scale, is that, apart from that particular atrocity, the perpetrator will often display perfectly normal traits, feelings and ambitions, some of which might actually be quite admirable. Of course, this is in no way a justification – or even a mitigation – of their horrific acts. Instead, it is simply a recognition that the motivations and fears that drive people toward actions we label as evil co-exist alongside other aspects of their personalities and lives that bare surprisingly easy comparisons to the rest of us.

When Himmler asks about his daughter or apologizes for forgetting a wedding anniversary, or when his wife reminds him that there is still a nice bit of caviar waiting for him, we realize that there can exist in people engaged in the most egregious behaviors a sense of normalcy. Some may call this a split personality, or an attempt at compartmentalization that enables the “evil person” to find brief refuge in an idealized version of their life.

The more uncomfortable conclusion, however, would be that, just as no “good person” is uniformly good all the time in such a way and to such extent that their saint-like generosity and empathy completely crowds out all selfish, envious and destructive behaviors, the person who does evil may often also do good.

Whether it’s allegations of war crimes by senior leaders or reports of bloody atrocities committed by individuals, the most difficult thing to reconcile is that these men are also husbands and fathers and sons, who may believe ardently in several admirable and forward-thinking causes, or that these women are also wives and mothers and daughters, who may be passionately committed to the improvement of their communities.

Himmler’s letters force us to confront not only the ordinary and mundane aspects in his depraved life, but also at least the potential for the horrific and brutal to originate within anyone around us, including ourselves.

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters to the Editor: E-mail to letters@ocregister.com.
Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published).
Letters of about 200 words or videos of 30-seconds
each will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.